A senior police officer based in Bulawayo was on Thursday arrested on suspicion of violating the country’s drug laws.
Assistant Commissioner Dereck Matsika, who is also a police doctor in the metropolitan province, was arrested at around 8pm.
Earlier on that day Matsika was among other senior police officers present at the police pass out parade held at the Ntabazinduna Police Training Depot, where Home affairs co-Minister Kembo Mohadi stood in as guest of honour on behalf of Vice-President John Nkomo. According to police sources, Matsika is being held at Donnington Police Station. Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo confirmed the Assistant Commissioner’s arrest.
“He will appear in court soon,” said Moyo. “As the police, we do not expect any member of our rank and file to engage in acts of malpractice. As a transparent force, we are going to arrest any member found on the wrong side of the law.” Matsika was arrested under Section 26 (1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1975.
The section says: “Any police officer may arrest without warrant a person who
has committed, or attempted to commit, or is reasonably suspected by the police officer of having committed or attempted to commit an offence against this Act if he has reasonable grounds for believing that that person will abscond unless arrested, or if the name and address of that person are not known to, and cannot be ascertained by, him.”
He said police on Thursday night obtained information on the alleged crime, “and acted swiftly and executed his arrest”.
